Sunday, June 05, 2005
Still Working At It
I haven't forgotten about this project -- just putting my time in elsewhere at the moment. In the meantime, don't forget to read Attention Span to keep tabs on me.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Why did Judas betray Jesus?
The motives of Judas Iscariot have been speculated about for almost 2000 years. Hi betrayal of Jesus confuses us as it likely did the other eleven disciples. Here was a man who was chosen by Jesus Himself to be a part of the inner circle of disciples. Jesus had prayed all night and came up with this group of eleven men who would spread His Gospel and one guy who would sell Him out to His enemies. But why would Judas do something like that?
The theories are numerous. As someone who was eager to see political revolution, perhaps Judas was trying to force Jesus to begin His Kingdom immediately. There were many who thought that Messiah was going to be a conquering warrior who would throw the Romans out of Israel. Another theory is that Judas neever fully accepted Jesus' message, becoming more and more frustrated as time progressed, until he finally decided to destroy Jesus. Others have proposed that Judas simply was lured by the money. We do know that he went to the chief priest to arrange the deal, so it seems that it was his idea.
The Bible is not really clear on Judas' motive. We do read that "Satan entered Judas." The meaning is not exactly clear. Could Satan have been literally possessed by Satan? It is possible provided that Judas wasn't really a true follower for Christ. But it could also mean that Judas responded to teh evil desires within himself. Those evil desireswould have been originated with Satan, so maybe that is what the Gospel writers meant.
Whatever the motive for the betrayal, we read that Judas regretted his action later. Interestingly enough, he never asks forgiveness or repents, he simply ends his life. He died in a state of rebellion from God. He never did accept Christ as Savior, so we know that Judas is not in heaven.
There is no short answer. Of the things we know about Judas: he was chosen by Jesus although he never seemed to accept Him for Who He said He was, he betrayed Jesus likely with some kind of evil influence, he later ran from his action and killed himself without repentance insuring his place in hell.
The theories are numerous. As someone who was eager to see political revolution, perhaps Judas was trying to force Jesus to begin His Kingdom immediately. There were many who thought that Messiah was going to be a conquering warrior who would throw the Romans out of Israel. Another theory is that Judas neever fully accepted Jesus' message, becoming more and more frustrated as time progressed, until he finally decided to destroy Jesus. Others have proposed that Judas simply was lured by the money. We do know that he went to the chief priest to arrange the deal, so it seems that it was his idea.
The Bible is not really clear on Judas' motive. We do read that "Satan entered Judas." The meaning is not exactly clear. Could Satan have been literally possessed by Satan? It is possible provided that Judas wasn't really a true follower for Christ. But it could also mean that Judas responded to teh evil desires within himself. Those evil desireswould have been originated with Satan, so maybe that is what the Gospel writers meant.
Whatever the motive for the betrayal, we read that Judas regretted his action later. Interestingly enough, he never asks forgiveness or repents, he simply ends his life. He died in a state of rebellion from God. He never did accept Christ as Savior, so we know that Judas is not in heaven.
There is no short answer. Of the things we know about Judas: he was chosen by Jesus although he never seemed to accept Him for Who He said He was, he betrayed Jesus likely with some kind of evil influence, he later ran from his action and killed himself without repentance insuring his place in hell.
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